Shaping agreener, brighter, stronger, more durable worldE

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We’ve reduced our carbon footprint by installing a new heat recovery circuit and infrared lighting sensors

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Our products help to create a greener, brighter, stronger,

more durable world, and our actions do too. Read on to

discover how our products and processes enhance the

world we live in.

LUCITE INTERNATIONAL

A global leader in the design, development and

manufacture of acrylic-based products, everyone here lives

our company promise of going further in all that we do. We

set ourselves the highest of standards from the efficiency

of our operations and our safety, health and environmental

performance to the positive contribution we make to our

customers, colleagues and the industries and communities

we serve.

Putting environmental, economic, social and cultural

considerations at the heart of our strategic planning

process, we’re passionate about continuous improvement,

reducing our environmental footprint and leading the way in

innovation and fresh thinking.

2020 ENVIRONMENT TARgETs

> Reduce energy and water consumption by 20%

> Reduce our carbon dioxide emissions by 20%

> Reuse, recycle and achieve zero waste to landfill

These commitments aren’t a trend, a fad or something

brought about by new legislation. We’ve already come a

very long way on our journey of sustainable development.

Everybody here is working towards the same aim. And our

improved efficiencies have benefited customers, colleagues

and local communities, as well as our business and planet.

Developing a sustainable business for the future

“Sustainable development is development

that meets the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations

to meet their own needs.”

1987 UN Brundtland Commission

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EUROPE, AFRICA, MIDDLE EAsT (EAME)

sHEET BUsINEss

Passionate about continually reducing energy consumption

and carbon dioxide emissions in all that we do, our flagship

products Perspex® and Lucite® offer great versatility

and flexibility.

Invented in the 1930s, the fundamental attributes of our

acrylic sheet have made it the preferred material for many

manufacturers, retailers, designers and architects.

Today acrylic is used in a growing range of domestic and

industrial applications. And we’re committed to leading

the way in responding to new demands and sustainable,

solutions-based ideas.

Perspex®

Offering exceptional performance characteristics and

world-renowned quality, applications range from corporate

identity, signage, architectural fixtures and glazing to furniture

and interior design. Available in a wide range of sizes,

thicknesses, colours and effects, Perspex acrylic sheet is

easy to shape, fabricate and form.

Lucite®

Offering durability, exceptional strength and design freedom,

almost 50% of the world’s acrylic baths are made from

Lucite sheet produced at our plants around the world. Warm

to the touch, its unique features include lasting colour and

superb surface finish and texture.

Our products, along with our processes offer environmental benefits

High Molecular WeightInsulation Non-Toxic Durability

> Non-toxic to aquatic organisms and inert in the environment

> Suitable for food contact

> No dioxins given off in a fire

> Outstanding durability extends the life of many products

> Longer lifespan means less frequent replacement

> The thermal conductivity of Perspex is about one sixth of that of glass

> A Lucite bath loses heat slower than a cast iron or enamelled steel bath

> In glazing applications, the heat loss through Perspex is around 8% less than glass

> Unrivalled weatherability

> Good chemical resistance

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Strength Rigidity Fabrication Weight

> 5x impact strength of float glass

> Surface as hard as aluminium

> Easy to fabricate, resulting in a low reject rate in production

> No drying required before thermoforming

> One of the most rigid thermoplastics

> As a result, a thinner acrylic panel can reduce the volume of material used

> Half the weight of glass

> Lower transportation costs and therefore carbon dioxide emissions

> And significant savings in structural support components in construction

Insulation

Non-Toxic

Durability

Strength

Rigidity

Fabrication

Weight

High Molecular Weight

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Saving one of the planet’s most precious resources

EAME SHEET BUSINESS PRODUCTION PROCESS

We produce cell cast acrylic sheet directly from monomer.

It’s poured between two sheets of high quality glass

and is polymerised in batches in a carefully controlled

manufacturing process. Our production methods offer

various benefits:

> Lucite® and Perspex® have over 97%

manufacturing efficiency.

This enables us to use our raw materials very efficiently

and minimises waste in our manufacturing process.

> The cell casting process is inherently flexible in

nature with various colours, thicknesses, textures

and manufacturing batch sizes.

And when we ‘change over’ to produce different

thicknesses and colours, there is low waste compared

to extruded products.

> Cell cast acrylic can improve cutting efficiency

and reduce loss.

Bath and glass sizes are matched to minimise cutting

loss. By working closely with our customers, we’re

able to improve and incentivise efficiencies at the

design stage.

Our main casting plant in Darwen may be situated in an

area of high rainfall, but we’re never wasteful and we

always believe in going further. Committed to using water

responsibly and further reducing our water usage at the

site we:

> Recently made a significant investment to reduce water

usage by more than 24 million litres a year

> Maintain good water quality by ensuring only minimal

chemical oxygen demand

> Have commissioned a warm water recycling project

that will save almost 800 tonnes of carbon dioxide

per annum

> Have implemented compressor efficiency projects that

have saved more than 13,000 litres of water a year

Maximising efficiencies in manufacturing

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A major investment at our Darwen plant has reduced water usage by around 24 million litres a yearP

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Energy reduction projects since 2005 have saved enough energy to power 1,700 homes a yearF

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ENERGY & GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Dedicated to making our processes as efficient as possible, at

our Darwen site we’ve:

> Been reducing our carbon footprint per tonne of

production since 1989 when we signed up to meet

biannual targets, as part of the Government’s Industry

Climate Change Agreement scheme

> Saved enough energy to power 1,700 homes a year

by investing in a variety of energy reduction initiatives

since 2005

> Reduced energy use by fitting infrared sensors and timers

to lighting circuits in our plant, warehouse and offices

> Installed a new heating control circuit in our warehouse to

lower our carbon footprint, reduce costs and maximise

efficiency

> Invested £2 million in a new boiler plant to reduce carbon

dioxide emissions by over 400 tonnes a year

REDUCING PRODUCT MILES

All of our cell cast sheet products sold in Europe are

produced in Europe. We’ve also situated our manufacturing

and warehouse operations in close proximity to each

other to minimise the distance our sheet travels during

internal transport.

Meeting and exceeding our environmental requirements

To enable us to identify new ways to improve

the environmental impact of our products and

operations, we’re working with CEFIC (The

European Chemical Industry Council) and its

acrylic member companies to define the carbon

footprint and other Life Cycle impacts of our

methacrylate products. This methodology will

be externally verified to meet ISO 14044 Life Cycle

Assessment requirements. It will be implemented for

our product ranges to pinpoint opportunities, drive

further progress and provide accurate information to

customers and designers.

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Committed to creating as little waste as possible and

sending less and less to landfill, we’re well on our way to

achieving our aim. Reusing, reducing and recycling as much

as we can, we:

> Recycle around 500 tonnes of glass a year - the

equivalent to 2.3 million 330ml bottles

> Have reduced the amount of fibreboard we use in our

packaging – saving the equivalent of 109 trees a year

> Recycle all kinds of waste from gasket tails, masking

and fibreboard to metal, filters and wood

> Currently only send 0.2% of our total waste to

landfill. And we’re working with Groundwork, a local

environmental charity to further reduce this

> Have introduced single sided masking to Lucite® sheet

– effectively halving the amount of masking used

Reducing and recycling non-acrylic waste

By reducing the amount of fibreboard in our packaging, we’ve saved the equivalent of 109 trees a year

Fa

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We make sure all acrylic is either sold,

recycled or reused Fac

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A REMARKABLE PROPERTY OF LUCITE® AND

PERsPEX®

Unlike most plastics, our cast acrylic sheet, poly-methyl

methacrylate (PMMA) can be readily recycled all the way

back to the original raw material ‘monomer’ - regardless

of colour or aesthetic effect.

REDUCINg, REUsINg AND RECYCLINg

We’re dedicated to reducing waste, increasing efficiency and

reusing and recycling waste wherever possible.

Reducing

> We’re committed to actively reducing the amount

of waste we generate across every aspect of our

operations

> Through our Manufacturing Excellence programme,

we implement a continuous improvement strategy to

give us world class production efficiency

> Focused on ‘getting it right first time’, our manufacturing

efficiency of over 97% minimises waste and the energy

we use whilst reducing our impact on the environment

Reusing and recycling

> The solid by-product from our manufacturing and

cutting operations is sold as a valuable raw material for

other processes – even the sawdust

> All waste from our sheet syrup process is recycled

and reused which provides the recycled content in

our sheet

> Acrylic syrup waste recycled from the production

process at our Darwen site meets the ISO14021

definition of ‘pre-consumer recycling’

End of life recovery and recycling

> The opportunities for recycling Lucite and Perspex

even extend beyond the factory gates. For example,

significant users of acrylic are dismantling products

(such as point-of-sale displays that have been used

for many years) and then recovering the acrylic to sell

as a raw material for other applications

> We are building relationships with local companies

across Western Europe to establish small-scale,

post-consumer acrylic recovery options

Recycling from start to finish

“PMMA is different from virtually all other plastics in that

it can be readily recycled back to the original monomer.

Thermal cracking, the process by which PMMA is

converted to MMA can be carried out with almost 100%

recovery.”

Dr I Boustead

European Plastics Industry Report 1997

Our safety and environmental performance ranks amongst

the best in the chemical industry. But we’re always looking

to improve and go further. After all, we truly believe that

safeguarding people and the environment is the only

acceptable way to treat our most valuable resources and is

essential to the long-term viability of our business.

Placing paramount importance on the safety, health and

wellbeing of everyone we impact upon, we’re proud of our

strong safety culture that goes back many years. Our high

SHE (Safety, Health & Environmental) standards have led to

many achievements, including:

> Being awarded a Certificate Of Excellence from the

CIA (Chemical Industries Association) for Lucite

International’s commitment to product sustainability

> Our Perspex® and Lucite® cell cast acrylic sheet

manufacturing sites achieving ISO 9001 registration.

> Our manufacturing sites in Darwen and Clairvaux

exceeding all current REACH, IPPC and EU

environmental regulations

> Ensuring our products DO NOT contain carcinogens,

heavy metals, phthalates or any of the banned

substances on the Ericsson list

> Our Darwen Site becoming the first plastics

manufacturer in the UK to achieve Carbon Trust

certification in 2009

> A rigorous Manufacturing Excellence programme that

continually improves and develops our processes

> Our UK pallets are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)

certified

Today sustainability is an integral part of Lucite

International. And the advantages for society, the planet

and our business are clear. However, it’s not about a single

action or measure. Rather it’s a package of continuous

improvements across all aspects of our organisation to

benefit all.

As well as our strong commitment to improve our own

sheet business, we’re working closely with other parts of

Lucite International on such initiatives as:

> Active long-term research programmes to investigate

improvements to existing manufacturing processes

> Developing bio-feedstock routes for use in new and

existing processes that do not use fossil fuels

Why acrylic?

> Easy to reuse or recycle

> Non-toxic pure material

> Long life in service

Why Lucite International?

> Our efficient processes

> Our environmental commitments

> We’re a true partner for the future, not just

another supplier

Acting responsibly to shape a safer world

Passionate about reducing our environmental

impact, we use cardboard manufactured from

70% virgin fibre pulp that’s produced under FSC

certification using forest thinnings and sawmill

waste. The other 30% of raw pulp material is from

recycled fibre.

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In conclusion

Shaping a brighter future for our customers, the world and future generationsF

act:

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Perspex® and Lucite® are registered Trade Marks of the Lucite International Group of Companies.©Lucite International UK Limited, 2012

info@lucitesolutions.com

www.lucitesolutions.com

Lucite International UK Ltd

PO Box 34

Darwen

Lancashire

BB3 1QB

United Kingdom

+44 (0) 1254 874444

DARWEN

Location: Lancashire, NW England

Operations: Manufacturing and R&D

Produces: Cast Sheet and Composites

Brands: Perspex® and Lucite®

CLAIRVAUX

Location: Jura, E France

Operations: Manufacturing

Produces: Speciality Cast Sheet Products

Brand: Perspex®